The library's first quarters were in the upper floor of the Odd Fellows building.

The idea of a library in Fulton arose just a little less than 100 years ago on February 25, 1907 at a meeting of the Fulton Women’s Club after a particularly inspiring lecture on books by Professor Willis Kerr of Westminster College. Amazingly, within five years a library building was conceived, funded, constructed and opened to the public on Market Street, where it remains today.

General M. F. Bell

The 1907 citizens of Fulton saw a free public library as an invaluable civic institution and the entire community became involved in “the library movement.” Library services were first offered out of rented rooms in the Odd Fellows building, but library backers saw an opportunity to build a permanent library in the person of iron and steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. Valuing “a free library beyond all other forms of beneficence,” Mr. Carnegie provided funding for over 1,600 libraries across the country.

In the case of Fulton, Mr. Carnegie put up $12,000 to build the library while the citizens of Fulton passed a 10¢ library tax levy to pay for operations and then a $4,000 bond issue to buy the land for the Fulton Free Public Library. So nearly unanimous was public sentiment that the bond issue passed with a vote of 280 to 11.

This early image of the original Carnegie library is estimated to be from the 1920s.

Designed by General M. F. Bell and built by W. R. Odor, the original building is constructed of gray pressed brick trimmed with Carthage stone and a roof of English tile. The interior had a 15-foot beamed ceiling and an oak floor; the basement housed an assembly room and a “ladies club room.” Although the building exterior has stood the test of time very well, the interior has been remodeled many times as both the collection and the population base grew. Extensive remodeling efforts were undertaken in 1958 and, in 1960, a contract and eventual merger with the Daniel Boone Regional Library resulted in a name change to the Callaway County Public Library. Further remodeling took place in 1967, but overcrowding of collections and patrons had become insurmountable, and by 1979 the library board began pursuing a tax levy increase in order to expand the library.

The 1980s addition added nearly 8,000 sqaure feet to the library.

The expansion proved much more difficult to fund than the original building, and it was not begun until 1984 and not entirely completed until 1987. The library won the June 1983 Fulton Heritage Trust Award because of the decision to retain the historic Carnegie building and incorporate it into the new design.

Likewise, the current library board has been mindful of the historic nature of the building and has tried to preserve and enhance the original portion of the building with the current renovations. In 2002, the Market Street steps were refurbished, and the outside of the building was given a face-lift that included sand-blasting, replacing bricks, tuck-pointing and painting. As a part of the interior renovations, the glass doors and side panels from the original Carnegie entrance (no longer up to code) have been creatively reused as interior windows into the computer center and staff work room. The ceiling has been raised somewhat, and the full height of the original windows has been revealed. The original entrance vestibule has been restored with a tri-color paint job and will now be part of a reading lounge in the adult fiction area.

Above all, the staff, board, architects and designers sought to make the remodeled library a welcoming community space, accessible to all, and easy and enjoyable to use. These revitalizing efforts are a continuation of the tradition of civic improvement which gave birth to Fulton’s library 93 years ago.